1. Field of the Invention
The invention relates to the field of marketing. More particularly, the invention relates to targeted marketing.
2. Discussion of the Background
Marketing means communicating information regarding at least one of products and services to consumers.
Targeted marketing means selectively marketing to a limited number of consumers, such as an individual, members of a family, persons with the same residence as one another, or persons having some other piece of relevant information in common with one another. U.S. Pat. No. 5,832,457 to O'Brien discloses targeted marketing.
Value means a good, a service, or a pecuniary interest including cash, check, credit, and conditional credit.
Transaction, in this application, means an exchange involving at least two parties. A purchase is a transaction. Receipt of an incentive offer (such as the act of downloading an incentive offer from a web site), redemption of an incentive offer, and acceptance of participation in a consumer survey are transactions.
Purchase, in this application, means a transaction in which cash, check, charge, or credit is exchanged for one or more goods and services.
Transaction incentive, in this application, means an offer for a certain value in exchange for entering into a specified transaction.
Purchase incentive, in this application, means an incentive wherein the specified transaction for which the incentive is offered is a purchase.
Incentive, in this application, means the certain value associated with entering into a transaction specified in a transaction incentive.
Incentive terms and transaction incentive terms, in this application, each means the specifications of the transaction into which someone must enter to be entitled to the incentive associated with the transaction incentive.
Predictive modeling is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 4,961,089 to Jamzadeh. Predictive modeling in this application means using data corresponding to prior events to determine a probability of occurrence of an event during some time period in the future. An example of a predictive model would be a formula whose inputs are the number of sun spots recorded over each of the last several years and whose output was a probability of a number of sunspots in the next year falling within a specified range.
A prediction, in this application, means an assumption that one or more events, such as a transaction or a purchase, either are probable to occur or are not probable to occur.
A class, in this application, means a set of things that share a common attribute. An example of a class is the class of all things that are goods. Goods are items of merchandise for sale. Another example of a class is the class of goods that are packaged goods. Another example of a class is the class of packaged goods that are canned goods. Another example of a class is the class of all products that are sold under the same brand name or trademark. Another example of a class is the class of all products that are manufactured by the same manufacturer. Another example of a class is the class of all goods that are diet related. Another example of a class is the class of all goods-that are prescription drugs. Another example of a class is the class of all products that are breakfast products. Another example of a class is the class of all service reservations that are rooming reservations, such as reservations at hotels and motels. Another example of a class is the class of all services reservations that are transportation reservations, including car, bus, train, and airline reservations. A class may consist of items of a single product, such as items having the same Universal Product Code (“UPC”). For example, all product items having the UPC code associated with 12 ounce glass bottles of Coca Cola define a class.
A database is a collection of data. Typically a database is organized in some fashion so that information contained in the data may be readily accessed. In this application the term database means data organized in some format in a computer memory that can be accessed by an associated computer system. Such a concept is also referred to as a database management system. A database or database management system includes commercial database products implemented in a computer system, such as the Microsoft Access and SQL Server line of products as well as any set of files stored in computer memory that can be accessed by an associated computer system.
Designated, as used in the foregoing example, refers to an association of the data defining the good or service with data defining an attribute. All data defining products and services associated with the same attribute are deemed to be in the same class defined by that attribute.
Data defining a good or a service may be stored in a database. Such data may be designated as a member of a class.